Turmeric, one of the main ingredients in curry, is a plant and spice known for its unique flavor, bright yellow coloring and reputed health benefits.

Part of the ginger family, Turmeric was used as a dye and considered a powerful anti-inflammatory in ancient Chinese and Indian medicine. It is also believed to have an array of health benefits. It has been used as both a cancer-fighting agent and a liver detoxifier. Additionally, the South Asian plant can be used as an anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agent on cuts and burns. Turmeric has also been used as a digestive aid and treatment for arthritis and depression.

Today, turmeric can be taken as in capsule form. Most experts, however, recommend that people try to include it in their daily recipes and meals.

The days are getting shorter ... and colder! You don't have to resort to canned cream of mushroom soup to prepare a hearty meal in your slow cooker. There are healthy recipes to be had and precious time to be saved.

You can't go wrong with Crock Pot Black Bean Chili -- beans for protein and fiber, peppers for vitamin C, and herbs and spices for all of their numerous health benefits.

Crockpot Chicken Curry is loaded with zesty flavors, from fresh gingerroot and mango chutney to crushed red pepper and cilantro. This one could be -- dare I say it? -- company food. Serve it over brown rice.

Yes, I've heard: white carbs are out, so you can't eat pasta. Well, that's not necessarily true. There are lots of good whole grain pasta options: whole wheat, quinoa, brown rice.

Our fave? Brown rice, as the taste and texture most resemble semolina pasta, especially if you use Trader Joe's brand or Tinkyada. So cook some up and toss with this wonderful recipe of curry sauce, spinach and scallops.

We always use whole fat organic yogurt, so we substituted that for the low fat, and I simply opened up a can of organic diced tomatoes instead of the fresh ones -- how's that for lazy? But healthy, nonetheless!

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Can certain foods really protect you against cancer? RealAge thinks so and reports that turmeric is just the spice for the prevention of pancreatic cancer, the very disease that just took the life of The Last Lecture guy Randy Pausch and is giving actor Patrick Swayze a run for his money.

It's curcumin, the yellow stuff found in turmeric, that works wonders on tumor cells. When researchers added the substance to cancerous pancreatic cells, production practically shut down. Thumbs up, then, for the spice that gives curry and other Far Eastern dishes it's strong and distinctive flavor.

These foods also keep pancreas happy: Onions, arugula, fish, eggs, poultry, D-fortified cereal, and dairy.

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If you missed our daily postings this past week, we invite you to take some time to catch up on our prior week's news and gear up for a new week of healthy living information and inspiration.

Summer's hit its halfway point. Have you reached all of your summer fitness goals? Let this week's post lead the way toward a healthy and fit you.

• Rigel shares how to get soda out of your life for good by drinking healthy, tasty substitutes instead.
• Could you have diabetes and not know it? Martha tells us about three surprising symptoms.
• Eating a dish with white pasta? Chris tells you why you should add a little yellow curry to your dish.
• Meredith Vieira doesn't need an anti-aging secret, Jacki shares with us.
• Want to pick up the pace on your daily walk? Maggie tells you how.
• Is your skin showing signs of summer skin problems? Kristen will help bring that beautiful skin back.
• Chris shares his recipe for a homemade energy bar.
  
  

Have a great week, everyone!

One of the major problems with fast-digesting carb sources is that they drive up blood glucose levels, which in turn causes the release of insulin. These two factors, individually and especially when combined, can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

To help remedy this problem, the obvious choice is to take white pasta, white rice, candy, and other simple sugar sources out of your diet. But what about the occasional slip-up? You know, when you fall "off the wagon" for a night or two and devour a Domino's pizza? In those instances, you may want to add some Thai "yellow" curry powder to your slices.

Why? Because a single serving of this Thai flavoring was found to slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream after consuming carb-rich foods, say researchers from Mahidol University in Thailand. As an added bonus, this same spice was found to reduce the risk of heart failure.

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Each week, we'll be naming a Super Food and offering unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

Being someone who loves to travel, I'm drawn to ethnic foods, tastes from around the world. So many cultures have different forms of curry, but my favourite is a good, spicy Indian curry. Provided it's not loaded with too much cream or sodium, curry is loaded with healthy ingredients like fresh veggies and spices. One of the key ingredients, of course, is Turmeric, and it's one of the main reasons you should eat more curry.

Why? The reasons are almost endless.

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How often do you eat curry? Chances are, you might not be getting enough. In addition to being delicious, curry has been shown to have dozens of health benefits, including the most recent revelation that it can lower your risk of heart failure and heart attacks, according to research out of Canada. The not-so-secret heart-healthy ingredient is the spice Tumeric, which gives curry at least part of its distinctive flavour. In addition, it's also been shown to ward off panreatic and colon cancers.

So for dinner tonight, how about some curry?

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The good news? Curcumin, an ingredient in the curry spice turmeric, may help prevent heart failure. The bad news? So far, it's only been tested on lab rats. Nevertheless, researchers from National Hospital Organization in Kyoto and the University of Toronto's cardiology division hope that this is a step forward in helping to prevent heart disease in human.

Two separate studies were conducted using rats that been engineered (that is, they were either given special drugs or had surgery) to put them at risk of heart failure. The curcumin was then administered to the rats, I guess once they were deemed good and unhealthy.

The rats that were given curcumin exhibited greater resistance to heart failure and inflammation than the rats that were not given anything (apart from medically induced heart problems, that is -- which I'm sure they're grateful for).

The results of the study, which were published in the February edition of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, showed no sign of side effects from curcumin.

Whether or not curcumin could be used by humans to prevent heart failure remains uncertain at this point. But, in the meantime, you can always use it to zest up some of your healthy dinners!!

Me, I love a good Indian curry -- the spicier the better. But I'm also a carb fiend at heart, and if you ask me, a curry isn't the same without a warm serving of garlic Naan bread. It's the perfect addition -- it acts not only as a utensil (no fork needed!) but the buttery bready goodness helps balance out the strong taste of the spices.

But there's no denying that a Naan is merely a side dish; It's not the main attraction of the meal -- it's there to compliment it. And considering that side dishes are the main component of the meal, they shouldn't be too high in calories, right? Let's find out ....

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We're lucky today to have access to all kinds of food from all kinds of places around the world, but it can still be hard to eat right because it's amazingly easy to end up eating the same things all the time. If you're stuck in a dieting rut then it might help to shake things up a bit and try some of these healthy staples from across the globe:

Cabbage, from Ireland
Here in the States cabbage isn't all that popular as a main player in dinner, but in Ireland it's a basic staple that originated hundreds of years ago. Most people just think "smelly" when then think of cabbage when in fact they should be thinking "cancer and disease fighting goodness." Cabbage, as well as its cousins broccoli, cauliflower, turnips, and brussel sprouts, is known to be a beneficial fighter against stroke, all kinds of cancers, cognitive decline and diabetes.

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Each week, we'll be offering original recipes and unique ways to use those Super Foods that pack nutritional power. After all, you are what you eat -- make it count!

We spent much of 2007 reviewing all sorts of Super Foods -- click here for all previous You Are What You Eat Super Food posts -- and now that we're barreling quickly into 2008, heres' a handful of super items -- some old; some new -- that are sure to get lots of attention.

Probiotics

Look for labels advertising live and active cultures and you'll get yourself some health-enhancing organisms. Found primarily in yogurt and fermented dairy products, these will help you maintain a healthy digestive tract and may even ward off cancer.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D strengthens bones and prevents and treats muscle weakness, gum disease, diabetes, insulin resistance, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, hypertension, and certain cancers. Too much vitamin D can be toxic over time, though, so keep your daily intake under 2000 IU. Look for D to emerge as the vitamin of the year.

The Omega-3 Fatty Acid DHA

This omega-3 is not only good for the heart -- it can also improve mood, mental function, and vision and can cut your risk for certain cancers, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease. Try for two weekly servings of fatty fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, sardines) or 200 milligrams daily from supplements or fortified foods.

Nuts

Make it just a handful several times per week and nuts are a good thing. They can help cut your heart disease risk by as much as 39 percent and can lower your cancer and diabetes risk.

Curry Power

Curry powder contains the goods to help the brain get rid of amyloid plaques, which are associated with Alzheimer's disease. Curry's compounds also boost immunity.

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We all know 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week does the body good. Add these steps to your 30-minute routine, and Michael F. Roizen, MD, says you'll keep your brain young.

• Eat Indian. Each week, eat six curry dishes or six teaspoons of dark mustard, or a combination of the two, and you may lower your Alzheimer's risk.

• Teach. You're more likely to retain information if you explain it to someone else.

• Go Tomatoes. Take in 10 tablespoons of tomato sauce (with olive oil and no added sugar). Do this every week and your brain will thank you.

• Laugh. Laughter really is good medicine. It's good enough to improve memory, in fact.

• Drink Coffee. More help on the Alzheimer's front. No cream or sugar allowed.

• Go Fish. Make it fish with low toxins, three to four times per week, or take molecularly distilled fish oil each day.

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Americans have a long lifespan, on average, but as this article points out, that's more down to fancy medicines than actual healthy living. There seems to be this worldwide cliche of Americans being unhealthy and generally obese, and if you travel often, you'll know that it's kind of true -- we do eat more and we are lazier.

So maybe it's time that we look to other countries for healthy living inspiration. Here's where we can find it, according to Dr. Oz:

• In Costa Rica, they eat fruit ever day
• In Sardinia, the wine has 10 times more antioxidants than other wines
• In India, curry spices ward off dementia and Alzheimer's
• In Okinawa, Japan, they drink tea instead of coffee. And they only ever eat until they're 80% full
• In Turkey, Kefir (a form of yogurt) is a regular par of the diet, providing lots of healthy antibiotics.
  

What healthy habits have you learned from other cultures?

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I've heard before that curry can fight cancer, but apparently, it loses some of its effectiveness when it's ingested. So researchers in Japan have come up with two synthetic versions of that magical spice that can harness the cancer-fighting potential of curry, even when ingested. And when tested on mice, the results were promising -- they worked far better at combatting cancer than regular curry. To read more about the studies, click here.

I wonder if this synthetic curry tastes the same as regular curry? I myself love curry but I know some people who don't. What about you? Do you love curry?

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